1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a surface emitting laser array provided with a two-dimensional photonic crystal, and a production method therefor.
2. Description of the Related Art
A surface emitting laser is known among surface emitting lasers, which makes use of a two-dimensional photonic crystal as a reflector.
The surface emitting laser using the two-dimensional photonic crystal has been actively studied (see Science, Vol. 319, pp. 445-447, 25 Jan. 2008) particularly for a surface emitting laser using a nitride semiconductor which can emit a light of a region from near ultraviolet to green, because a distributed Bragg reflector which is generally used is hardly produced for the surface emitting laser.
Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2003-273456 discloses a surface emitting laser which is provided with the two-dimensional photonic crystal and has a light reflection region provided in the periphery of the two-dimensional photonic crystal in a horizontal direction to the crystal face in order to enhance the use efficiency of light.
The surface emitting laser having this structure makes the above described light reflection region reflect toward the two-dimensional photonic crystal a part of the light which has leaked from the two-dimensional photonic crystal in the horizontal direction in order to enhance the use efficiency of light.